A different kind of hair story

You know that feeling? That restlessness when your soul starts whispering about change? When everything in your life looks perfect on paper, but something inside you yearns for change? 

Yeah, let's talk about that beautiful, terrifying, exhilarating moment when your heart knows it's time for something new.

That was me with my hair. 

Five years of natural hair. Five years of celebrating black beauty and self-acceptance. Five years of beautiful connections within a community that taught me so much about embracing our roots, literally and figuratively. Five years of hearing from other black young women how much I inspired them to start their natural hair journey and embrace their fro!

My hair 2 years ago. I was celebrating 3 years of growth and no heat

And then one day, I found myself sitting in a salon chair, watching a new chapter of my story unfold with each passing minute.

That weight of knowing I would be disappointing a community was so heavy. But then I chose to stay fixated on the real reason I was doing it. Which was the same reason I shaved my hair off five years ago - THAT URGE FOR CHANGE THAT WOULDN’T GO AWAY! 

And sometimes change needs to be drastic. Sometimes it needs to be visible. Sometimes it needs to be something that makes people uncomfortable because it challenges their perception of who you are.

For me, it was chemicals restructuring my curls into submission. For you, it might be: Buying a one-way ticket to somewhere new; Leaving a "perfect" relationship that feels empty; Quitting that prestigious job that's killing your soul; Starting over in a field where nobody knows your name.

Here's what I've learned about drastic change: no one will understand them except the soul calling for them. And that's okay. You don't need to explain why you needed to burn it all down and start fresh. You don't need to justify why this particular change spoke to your spirit.

To the natural hair community that felt betrayed – I love you, but this wasn't about you. This was about the magic that happens when you honour your inner calling, even when it contradicts your outer brand. This was about understanding that sometimes, the most authentic thing you can do is change.

This wasn't about rejecting natural beauty. This was about embracing personal evolution and transformation.

And while transformation is rarely about the physical changes we make, they are the visible echoes of something much deeper stirring within us. They're the external manifestations of internal growth, like rings in a tree marking seasons of change.

Each transformation we undergo is like peeling back layers of an onion, revealing new facets of ourselves we didn't even know existed. My journey started with hair, but it unveiled so much more:

• The courage to trust my intuition even when it leads me down unexpected paths
• The strength to embrace change without invalidating my past
• The wisdom to understand that growth often feels like stepping into the unknown
• The peace that comes from aligning your outside with your inside

There's a magical space between who we were and who we're becoming. It's in this space that transformation takes root. My time in the salon chair wasn't just about changing my hair, it was about honouring that space, acknowledging that transition, celebrating that evolution.

Now, when I look in the mirror, I don't just see straight hair where curls used to be. I see someone who had the courage to listen to her soul's whispers. Someone who understood that authenticity sometimes means disappointing others to be true to yourself.

A New Kind of Freedom

There's a special kind of power in knowing you can survive others' disappointment in your choices. There's liberation in realizing that your identity isn't bound to any particular version of yourself – even one you've championed for years.

To everyone feeling that quiet urge for change: Your transformation doesn't need to make sense to anyone else. It doesn't need to follow a predetermined path. It just needs to feel true to the person you're becoming.

Whether your change is visible like mine, or something more subtle, honour it. Whether it's understood by others or not, embrace it. Whether it fits into your previous narrative or writes a completely new one, trust it.

Because transformation isn't about becoming someone different, it's about becoming more fully yourself. It's about aligning your outside with your inside, your actions with your truth, your life with your soul's deepest knowing.

And sometimes, just sometimes, that alignment looks like sitting in a salon chair, watching your familiar reflection transform into something new, and feeling your soul whisper, "Yes, this is exactly where you're meant to be."

And who knows, maybe 5 years from now my soul may call to be a natural hair girl again :) 

PS: To the heart contemplating change, your transformation is valid simply because it calls to you. Trust that call. It's leading you home to yourself.